In the current information age, information technology (IT) tools play a significant role in our daily activities, and electronic transmission of documents is an increasingly prevalent means of transmitting information to another. IT tools such as scanners and multi-function printers (MFP) are utilized to convert hardcopy documents into electronic form, thereby decreasing the need for physical storage space and at the same time allowing the information in the paper documents to be transmitted quickly and more readily.
When a hardcopy document is scanned using a conventional scanner or MFP, the features the user can utilize are limited. For example, the user usually has the options of scanning the documents using available settings and configurations and choosing a destination (or in some instances, the destination is preset). However, users are often unable to access more advance features, such as combining multiple scanned documents together, without the aid of postscan software on a computer. Further, in many instances, the user cannot name the scan output file on the scanner or MFP. Also, once the user has scanned the document, the typical scanner or MFP will send the scan output only to a single destination and does not provided the facility for the user to select multiple destinations (e.g., one or more network storage devices and one or more e-mail addresses) simultaneously.
There remains a need for improved scan services and features that allow a user at a scanner or MFP to perform the tasks that are need to place the scan output in a desired format and to specify the destination in a manner in which the user may be accustomed at other devices (such as at a terminal or computer), and feel confident that the scan job is at, or on its way to, the intended destination in the manner desired.